Shih Tzu Dog Breed Information

The Shih Tzu sits in the NZKC top 20 because it solves a specific problem better than almost any other breed: a small, low-energy, low-shedding companion dog that fits an apartment or a retiree’s villa and lives 14 years on average. The catch is the coat. A Shih Tzu either gets daily brushing or it gets professionally clipped every 6 to 8 weeks, and the household budget needs to plan for one or the other from day one.

Adults stand 20 to 28 cm at the shoulder and weigh 4 to 7 kg. The flowing double coat comes in almost every colour combination, with gold and white, black and white and brindle the most common in NZ litters.

Personality and behaviour

Shih Tzus were bred for centuries to be lap dogs in the Chinese imperial court, and the modern breed still defaults to that role. The personality is affectionate without being clingy, alert without being nervous, and friendly without being a pushover. Most Shih Tzus follow their person around the house but settle quietly nearby rather than demanding constant contact.

The breed is sociable with strangers and other dogs. The bark is moderate, alert-driven rather than constant. Most Shih Tzus tolerate being left alone for normal workday hours better than a Pug or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, though no toy breed loves long isolation.

The trait that surprises new owners is the stubbornness. Shih Tzus are not biddable in the gundog sense. They are clever, opinionated and prepared to wait you out. Training works in short reward-based sessions; nagging does not.

The other surprise is the eyes. The breed makes constant eye contact, communicates a lot of emotion through the face, and reads household mood unusually well for a toy dog. It is part of why the breed is so popular with people who want a quiet companion.

Care and exercise

Plan on around 30 minutes of structured exercise a day, split across two short walks. The breed is happy to do more in cool weather and content to do less in hot weather. Mental enrichment matters more than physical exercise for most Shih Tzus: a snuffle mat, a food puzzle and a 15-minute training session beat a forced 5 km walk for the breed.

Grooming is the defining care commitment. A full-coated Shih Tzu needs daily brushing with a pin brush and metal comb to prevent matting, plus a bath every 2 to 3 weeks. Most NZ pet owners give up the show coat within the first year and switch to a “puppy clip” (short all-over) which needs a professional groom every 6 to 8 weeks at NZ$80 to NZ$120 per visit. Either way, the eyes need a daily wipe with a damp cotton pad to clear the constant tear staining and prevent fold dermatitis under the eye.

Dental care is the second daily commitment. The breed has a small jaw and crowded teeth, and dental disease is the most common health issue across the lifetime. Daily tooth brushing, dental chews and small-breed kibble all help. Most Shih Tzus need a professional dental scale and clean under anaesthetic every 2 to 3 years from around age 5, at NZ$600 to NZ$1,200 per visit.

Training a Shih Tzu in New Zealand

Shih Tzus are bright but stubborn. Food motivated, quick to learn the first repetition, and quick to get bored on the fifth. Most reach a polite household standard rather than a competitive obedience standard, and that is fine.

Practical points:

• House-training is slow. Some lines aren’t fully reliable until 8 to 10 months. Use a tight schedule, a crate of an appropriate size, and reward outdoor toileting heavily for the first 12 weeks. Indoor accidents on rainy NZ winter days are normal for the breed.
• Reinforcement-based training is the standard with NZ-accredited trainers. NZKC-affiliated companion dog clubs, SPCA puppy classes and small-breed puppy classes (typically NZ$150 to NZ$300 for six weeks) suit the breed.
• Use a Y-front harness rather than a collar. The flat face and long neck make tracheal pressure a real concern.
• Adolescence (8 to 14 months) is mild but the breed gets selectively deaf around this age. Keep up the routine.
• Socialisation matters more than obedience. A poorly socialised Shih Tzu becomes nippy with strangers and reactive on lead. Take the puppy to cafes, parks and friends’ houses every week from 12 weeks onward.

Climate fit across New Zealand

The Shih Tzu has moderate heat tolerance at best. The flat face limits panting, and the heavy coat traps warmth even when clipped short.

• Auckland and Northland. The hardest fit. Humid summers above 25 degrees regularly push the breed toward heat stress. Walk early or late December through February, keep the coat clipped short, and ensure aircon or a tile floor for indoor cooling. Never leave a Shih Tzu in a parked car.
• Wellington. A better fit. Cool summers and breezy days suit the breed. Wind and rain are no problem; the coat dries within an hour after a rinse. Hill suburbs are fine because most exercise is short and flat.
• Christchurch and Canterbury. A good year-round fit. Cold winters are easy work for the double coat (the breed comes from Tibet, after all). Hot dry nor’westers in summer still need early-walks discipline. Dust and grass seed need a check after walks in long grass.
• Central Otago and Southland. Suits the breed in winter. The double coat handles frost and snow well. Wet snow that mats the coat needs a careful comb-out afterwards.

Where to find a Shih Tzu in New Zealand

Three reasonable paths.

1. Registered NZKC breeders. The Dogs NZ breeders directory lists every registered Shih Tzu breeder by region. Expect a 6 to 12 month waitlist and NZ$1,800 to NZ$3,500 for a registered puppy. Look for breeders who DNA-test for renal dysplasia, screen for patellar luxation, and breed for a more open nostril and longer muzzle than the show extreme. Ask about the parents’ breathing and dental health as adults.
2. Shih Tzu and small breed rescue. Small Breed Rescue NZ and similar networks regularly take in surrendered adult Shih Tzus, often from owners who underestimated the grooming commitment. Adoption fees usually run NZ$400 to NZ$700, and the dogs are typically already desexed, vaccinated and assessed for health.
3. SPCA NZ. Shih Tzu and Shih Tzu-cross dogs appear in SPCA centres regularly. Adoption includes desexing, vaccination, microchipping and parasite treatment, typically NZ$300 to NZ$600.

Avoid online listings without parent photos, breeders who can’t show health screening, and any source selling Shih Tzu puppies under 8 weeks. The breed’s popularity makes it a target for volume breeding (designer crosses like Shoodle and Shih-Poo are particularly common), and severe BOAS, eye disease and renal problems all show up far more often in dogs from unregistered backyard sources.

What surprises new owners

Three things catch most first-time NZ Shih Tzu owners off guard. First, the grooming workload is higher than the small size suggests. A daily 10-minute brush plus a 6-weekly groom appointment is the realistic baseline if the coat is kept short, and double that if the coat is kept long. Owners who don’t budget for the grooming line in the first year typically end up with a matted dog that needs a full shave-down, and the shave-down sets the coat back six months.

Second, the eyes need daily attention. The breed’s bulging eyes sit close to the world, the lid edge, and the dog’s own facial hair. Tear staining is constant; a wipe with a damp cotton pad in the morning is the bare minimum. Corneal ulcers from a stick at the park, a kitten paw or a stray piece of hair are common, and any cloudy or weeping eye is a same-day vet visit, not a “wait and see”.

Third, the dental cost is real. The small jaw crowds teeth and most Shih Tzus need a professional dental scale and clean under anaesthetic every 2 to 3 years from age 5 onward, at NZ$600 to NZ$1,200 per visit. Daily home brushing slows the disease but doesn’t stop it. Insurance dental cover varies; some NZ insurers cover only injury-related dental work, not routine scaling. Read the policy wording before signing.

Insurance and lifetime cost

Shih Tzu insurance claims in NZ are dominated by dental, eye and skin issues, with occasional spinal and renal claims. The big-ticket items across a lifetime are dental scaling and extractions every two to three years, recurrent eye injuries (corneal ulcers from the bulging eye), and chronic skin allergies.

Three things to weigh on a NZ Shih Tzu policy:

• Lifetime cover vs accident-only. Lifetime cover continues to pay for chronic conditions year after year. For a breed with predictable lifelong dental and skin claims, this is meaningful. Annual difference is typically NZ$250 to NZ$450.
• Dental cover. Many NZ pet insurers exclude routine dental work and only cover dental injury or extractions tied to disease. Read the wording closely; for this breed, dental is the largest single cost over a lifetime.
• Sub-limits per condition. Cheaper policies cap how much they pay for any one condition over the dog’s life. Recurrent eye conditions and ongoing allergy management are the typical breed claims that exhaust low sub-limits.

For a typical NZ Shih Tzu on a mid-range lifetime policy, lifetime cost (purchase plus 14 years of food, vet, insurance, grooming and other) runs around NZ$28,000 to NZ$42,000 depending on choices. The grooming line alone is NZ$700 to NZ$1,000 per year if you use a professional groomer every 6 to 8 weeks, and that adds up over the long lifespan.